An Unexpected Flatmate

Satoru could understand the airport being a loud place—he really could.

But the bus?

He was used to crowded commutes. Heck, this bus was probably more spacious than any train he took to school. The difference was that people in Japan kept quiet. Germans, on the other hand…

Their constant chatter made his head hurt.

“Little Tokyo boy can’t handle the European experience already?”

“S-Shut up. I’ll get used to it.” His cheeks turned a slight pink in embarrassment. “Bet you had the same reaction back when you first came here.”

“Maybe~ But you weren’t there to see it, so I have the tactical advantage.”

Her obnoxious grin made his whole body shiver. Sometimes, it was hard to tell who was the younger sibling with how childish Miho could act at times.

“Don’t worry, sensitive boy. Just two more stops, and we’re getting out.”

Rather than reassuring him, that only made Satoru’s excitement awaken at once.

Finally, he would have his first glimpse of life in an entirely different country. The airport was a different kind of experience—like a portal between all sorts of dimensions—so the true essence of German culture would only appear once he set foot on the pavement of the wondrous city of München.

Soon enough, an announcement played, and Satoru could only guess that it was the name of their bus stop—one he would definitely find impossible to pronounce. No wonder German was often used as a "magic" language in manga. Spoken with a real accent, it felt like something from another world.

“Off we go.” Miho smacked his back lightly as the doors in front of them opened, letting out passengers while new ones entered.

The Japanese teen looked left and right as he stepped out. The scenery was…

Underwhelming.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” his sister spoke up. “I mean, in its ugliness, it’s quite charming.”

“Is it like this in the entire city?” Satoru chuckled nervously.

“Nope. There are many breathtaking spots. It’s just that these side alleys are kinda… gray.”

Miho really knew how to word things nicely.

Maybe this wasn’t what he had expected, but nevertheless, it was an experience. The contrast between Japanese streets and this place was shocking, but not in the worst possible way. Sure, it may not have been very aesthetic, but just like his older sister said, it had its own charm. There were no vending machines softly humming while cooling or heating beverages. Instead, he spotted a few trash bins—something rare on the streets of Tokyo.

“Now, come on. You’re barely standing up. You need real rest—sleeping on the plane doesn’t count. If you don’t get rid of the jet lag, your brain will turn to mush.”

Following his sister, they entered an older-looking building. As expected, there was no elevator, so it was a blessing that Miho’s apartment wasn’t on the top floor, but the fourth instead. Considering he had to carry his suitcase up there, it was quite the workout.

A bit tired and breathing heavier, Satoru was relieved when he heard the sound of keys jingling. Unlike the rest of the building, the door looked fairly new. He had seen a few pictures of the apartment when his sister first moved in, but seeing it in person was different. Satoru already knew the place had a modern design, so he wasn’t too surprised when he stepped inside.

The main room was a combination of a kitchen, living room, and dining space. To the left, a small corridor led to the bedrooms and bathroom—just as he had assumed.

“Put your things here for now.” Miho pointed to the empty corner by the TV. “We’ll take care of it later. Tea?”

“Ah, yeah, sure.” Satoru sat down, still adjusting to his new surroundings. He was sure he would feel more comfortable soon. The place felt cozy, but it was natural to feel out of place at first. Now that he could relax a little, a sudden realization hit him.

“Wait a minute. You said your roommate is moving into her boyfriend’s apartment this summer, right?”

“Yup, that’s right,” Miho replied as she bustled around the kitchen.

“Then… the room should be free, right? Not that I mind sleeping on the couch, but wouldn’t it make more sense for me to stay in the empty bedroom?”

“Ah!” His older sister let out a loud cry, making him jump. “I’m so dumb. I forgot to tell you!”

“Tell me what?”

Instead of answering, she glanced at the clock on the microwave. “Ah, she should be here soon. Good thing we got back in time.”

“She?”

“Silke.”

“Again, who’s that?”

Miho chuckled in a way she only did when she was embarrassed about something, so Satoru immediately knew his sister had messed up.

“Okay, so you know Katrin, right?”

“That was… your roommate? The one who moved in with her boyfriend?”

“Yup! That’s right! Silke is her younger sister. She’s starting college here in München this year.”

Satoru had a bad feeling about where this was going.

“She was originally supposed to move into the dorms—to experience college life in full or something like that—but… the dorms are under renovation for the entire summer. So, Katrin asked me if it would be okay for her to stay here in the meantime…” The longer Miho spoke, the quieter she got, maybe hoping her brother wouldn’t catch the details. But he heard everything loud and clear.

“And you didn’t think, oh, I don’t know, to inform me about it!? Seems like an important detail to know that I’ll be living with a girl I’ve never even spoken to!”

His sister pressed her palms together in a dramatic prayer pose, bowing her head slightly. “I’m sorry, okay? It completely slipped my mind! But I promise, she’s really chill. I’ve met her a few times when she stayed over.” She straightened up when the kettle beeped, then resumed making the tea. “Besides, it’s not like you’ll be stuck in the apartment all the time. You wanted to explore the city, right? I’ll be at work most of the time, too, so you won’t have to feel awkward around her 24/7.”

Satoru hated that she was right.

“Guess you’re right.”

Miho walked over with two mugs of tea, handing him one. The teen had barely managed to get a full grip on the ceramic handle when the doorbell rang.

“That should be her!” Placing her own mug on the small table beside the couch, she trotted toward the door to greet their guest—or rather, their temporary roommate.

“Hallo, Silke! Lange nicht mehr gesehen! Komm rein! Ich habe gerade meinen Bruder vom Flughafen abgeholt. Gut, dass du nicht auf uns warten musstest.”

Hearing his sister speak in a foreign language felt strange, especially with her noticeable Japanese accent. But he quickly put that thought aside the moment the girl stepped inside.

It wasn’t just any girl. Unlike him and Miho, who both had the same boring black hair and dark brown eyes that could almost pass for black, Silke had beautiful short blonde hair and eyes as blue as the depths of the ocean.

Satoru had never seen anyone so breathtaking in his entire life—not even among the tourists that flooded Tokyo.

All he could do was sit there, stunned, as the girl waved at him.

“Hallöchen!”